For some it still is, but for most Americans (especially the poorer ones) they enjoy meeting the corporate deadline for spending which is approx. 7PM on Dec 24. That is when all of your purchases must be displayed under the tree. This spending deadline is what drives the US economy in the 4th quarter. There are other attempts to add deadlines to other holidays such as 4th of July 'sales' and of course, Black Friday when purchasing has very specific time constraints. As for the religious aspect, it appears to amount to dressing up for mass and hearing some Christmas music...while the family experience has devolved into a dive into each family member's personal electronic device. Any thoughts on that?
I've never thought of Christmas as a religious holiday. Where I grew up, very few people were religious or never talked about it. Religion was pretty much irrelevant. I think it is comical that morons like Trump behave badly in most ways yet profess to have, "family values".
Of course not. It’s a consumer holiday. It’s a collage of many beliefs. It’s a time to judge and be judged. Anything but a religious holiday.
It is what you make it. See It’s A wonderful life or Miracle in 34th st
The commercialization of Christmas and a more widespread knowledge of pagan influence and a rise in atheism may be some of the causes of the decline. With more education, I think the numbers will continue to decline and eventually Christmas will become mainly a secular holiday.
Raised a Jew I wanted to celebrate the cultural Christmas-Started putting up X-mas tree as soon as I had my own apt. Doesn't say if only Christians answered this question- Curious?
I am, sort of (mom is a shiksa), culturally Jewish. We always celebrated Christmas with the tree etc. It seem secular to me. Only with real Jewish relatives did we have Seder dinner or anything Jewish. I've always had a Chirstmas tree at my house until a few years ago - too much trouble.